Designer illustrator maker- Sarie Oliver

Back to school: Volume 2

The school bag. In my day it was Eastpack’s and Jan sport and those weird one across the body strap Custord factory bags or the craze for those weird mini Nike/Adidas reebok backpacks. As soon as I was 14 I discovered bands and covering my bags in band patches (Hole, Nirvana etc). Oh the hidden gems of a teenage school backpack. I remember the treasures that mine held: cigarettes (I was looking after them for a friend Honest Mum!) impulse body spray, shattered collection 2000 eye shadows (blue dust coated everything) An old Nokia brick, planner and old the dog ate my homework but I managed to salvage it pieces of paper, dog eared required reading (Of mice and men etc), old stale sandwiches and manky remnants of a gym kit and of course my trusty Lipsmacker collection and a ring binder covered in pictures of boys in bands.

Here is an account of what is kind of in my bag now, my trusty Kanken (wish I was that cool back in the day! Totally copied my Twingo). Obvs’ there are some fantasy items thrown in there…I don’t normally carry around a neon sugary donut. Anyway I am rather attached to my wonder bag and always don’t feel quite like myself with my hunchback inducing backpack loaded with everything but the kitchen sink (aka sketchbook, paints, pens, book, diary and makeup). Still not that cool then.